Between the Panels: Fantastic Four Is Marvel's Biggest Challenge in 2018

Ever since the All-New, All-Different Marvel relaunch in 2015, there's been a giant, Fantastic Four-shaped hole in Marvel's comic book lineup. At long last, Marvel is finally filling that hole with the announcement that Dan Slott and Sara Pichelli are launching a new Fantastic Four comic in August. But as nice as it is to see Marvel's First Family returning to prominence again, it's hard to ignore the shabby way they've been treated over the last three years. Marvel has a long, uphill battle ahead of it if it's going to prove to readers that the Fantastic Four are truly a priority again.

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Marvel hasn't published a dedicated Fantastic Four comic since canceling the previous series in May 2015. And while Human Torch and the Thing have popped up here and there in the years since, Reed Richards and his family have essentially been MIA since the end of Secret Wars. A series that once served as one of the fundamental pillars of the Marvel Universe quietly disappeared from the shelves. Not even the arrival of a new Fantastic Four movie was enough to revive the team's comic book prospects.

Marvel has largely kept quiet about the motivations for keeping the FF off the table, but enough creators and insiders came forward over the years that a pretty clear picture has emerged. The franchise has been a casualty of the ongoing feud between Marvel and 21st Century Fox, the latter of which holds the film rights to both the X-Men and Fantastic Four. Former Fantastic Four writer Jonathan Hickman confirmed as much last year. "I think it’s pretty common knowledge at this point that Marvel isn’t publishing Fantastic Four because of their disagreement with Fox," Hickman told Newsarama. "While it bums me out, I completely understand because, well, it isn’t like they’re not acting out of cause. Fox needs to do a better job there."

You can't necessarily blame Marvel for prioritizing its bottom line over the desires of readers, but that doesn't change the fact that fans have been deprived of Fantastic Four stories for the past three years because of a corporate spat. Worse, it's not as though Marvel has stopped publishing new X-Men comics during that same time. They've been sending a clear message that the Fantastic Four are an acceptable casualty in their war with Fox, whereas the X-Men aren't. In effect, one franchise matters more than the other. Why shouldn't FF fans feel hurt by that sentiment?

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It's likely no coincidence that the timing of this FF relaunch comes a few months after the news that Disney is buying Fox and bringing an end to that standoff. Now that there are no larger corporate reasons to keep the FF out of play, it's safe to bring the team back. But does that mean readers should agree to simply forgive and forget? Doesn't this team deserve better than the fair-weather friend treatment?

Granted, I doubt the editorial staff at Marvel Comics had much say in the way things have played out these past few years. Those decisions were made at higher levels on the Disney hierarchy. I'm sure many within the company have been just as desperate to start crafting new FF stories as fans have been to read them. Marvel has a new Editor-in-Chief in C.B. Cebulski and a new promotion literally nicknamed "Fresh Start." If you're going to dust off this venerable franchise, now is the time to do it. But that's not to say Marvel deserves a free pass for the way things have gone down. FF readers are right to feel jilted and to look at this upcoming relaunch with a wary eye.

The Fantastic Four relaunch may well be the greatest test Marvel faces with this Fresh Start initiative. It goes without saying that books like Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness' Avengers or Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman's Venom are going to be big hits. But Fantastic Four, a series that has often struggled to maintain strong sales even with some of the biggest creators in the industry attached, is far from a sure thing in today's market. Once you factor in the lingering resentment over Marvel's handling (or lack thereof) of the franchise in recent years, it's tough to say how well this relaunch will actually be received.

Marvel Comics 2018 Relaunch Lineup

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Check out every new Marvel comic announced so far.

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Marvel Comics 2018 Relaunch Lineup

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Bearing that in mind, it's not hard to see why Marvel chose the creative team it did for this relaunch. Both Slott and Pichelli have some experience coming on board a beloved property at a delicate time. Slott was the first writer to take on Amazing Spider-Man in the aftermath of the controversial One More Day storyline in 2008. Flash forward 10 years, and ASM is still one of Marvel's best-selling monthly books. It took a while, but Slott and his fellow Brand New Day writers were able to ease the sting of One More Day and expand the series' appeal again. Pichelli, meanwhile, co-created Miles Morales after writer Brian Bendis made the controversial choice to kill off Peter Parker in the Ultimate Universe. A great many readers were dubious about Miles taking Peter's place in Ultimate Spider-Man, but the character quickly developed a rabid fanbase of his own. Working together, the hope is that Slott and Pichelli can restore the FF's lost luster and turn them into a vibrant, vital part of the Marvel Universe again.

It's not going to be easy for Marvel to make readers forget about this dark period in the Fantastic Four's history. And as with Spider-Man's Brand New Day, there's probably going to be a difficult adjustment period. But if the company can successfully revive this iconic team, then that'll be as sure a sign as anything that Marvel's Fresh Start is living up to its name.